Cristiano Ronaldo has hit back at a Portuguese podcast over criticism of Joao Felix’s move to Al-Nassr.
Felix left Chelsea in the summer to join Ronaldo at the Saudi Arabian side in a £26million deal, which could rise to £43m.
Eyebrows had been raised at the Portuguese making the switch to the country at the age of 25 but it followed a turbulent period in Europe for Felix.
Felix moved to Stamford Bridge from Atletico Madrid last summer, having had an earlier spell with the Blues on loan in 2023.
He made 20 appearances for Enzo Maresca’s side in the first half of the season but started only three Premier League games before leaving for AC Milan on loan in January.
Felix has played five games for Al-Nassr, scoring a hat-trick on his debut and registering one assist.
Cristiano Ronaldo has leapt to the defence of Al-Nassr and Portugal team-mate Joao Felix
Popular Portuguese podcast Chuveirinho this week ran a segment where they questioned his decision to swap European football for Saudi Arabia at such a young age.
And it caught the attention of Ronaldo, who responded to a clip from the podcast on Instagram.
‘Idiots don’t understand anything about football, yet they still give their opinions,’ Ronaldo wrote, alongside three crying emojis.
The post has since been removed, while the Chuveirinho account has since posted a message asking whether they ‘deserve’ to be called out by Ronaldo after regularly praising the now 40-year-old star.
Ronaldo, who last month got engaged to long-term girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez, played a role in Felix’s decision to join Al-Nassr.
‘You can see he’s building something here and doing his part in developing the project,’ Felix said.
‘He was one of the first to talk to me about coming here, and when he talked to me, I felt a wonderful moment and a beautiful feeling, and that helped convince me.’
Ronaldo has scored 95 goals in 109 appearances since moving to Al-Nassr following his controversial exit from Manchester United.
The ex-Real Madrid forward in June ended speculation about his future by signing a new two-year contract worth an eye-watering £492m.
